How much calories should you eat to lose weight? It depends on various factors such as activity level, age, gender, body type, etc. These variables will dictate how much food you should consume to lose weight. To lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit which means burning more calories than you are consuming.
The most important thing when you are figuring out a weight loss daily caloric plan is that you are on a plan that is giving you enough food. And doesn’t put your body into starvation mode. When your body is in starvation mode it can slow up your metabolism.
How much calories should you eat to lose weight? iStock-photo credit: JLco- Julia Amaral
When you are on weight loss plan you must have a starting point and then make tweaks from there. The Dietary Guidelines Americans for calorie intake for Females are the following:
Females
Age– 19-30 years old- Daily Requirements- 1800-2400 calories
Age– 31-60 years old- Daily Requirements- 1600-2200 calories
61+ years old- Daily Requirements- 1600-2200 calories
Males
19-30 years old- Daily Requirements- 2400-3300 calories
31-60 years old- Daily Requirements- 2200-3300 calories
Over the age of 61- Daily Requirements- 2000- 2600 calories
Children
2-4 years old- Daily Requirements- Males- 1000-1600 calories; Females- 1000-1600 calories
5-8 years old- Daily Requirements- Males- 1200-2000 calories; Females- 1200-1800 calories
9-13 years old- Daily Requirements- Males- 1600-2600 calories; Females- 1400-2200 calories
14-18 years old- Daily Requirements- Males- 2000-3200 calories; Females- 1800-2400 calories
Protein
When you are trying to lose weight, having protein in your diet with every meal is very important. According to a 2020 study, increasing your protein can help curb your appetite. Also eating protein has the highest thermic effect out of any macronutrient. 25 to 30% of the calories you get from protein are burned through the digestion process.
A good example is if you eat 100 calories of protein your body uses 25 to 30% of this in the digestion process. And that leaves you with a net calorie of 70 to 80 calories.
Research studies show that getting an adequate amount of protein helps to build and maintain lean muscle mass. And the more lean muscle mass you have the faster your metabolism will be. And a faster metabolism means greater weight loss. Especially if you are consuming the right foods and on the right daily caloric plan.
Some good protein foods to eat are chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs, etc.
Water
Drinking water is a great appetite suppressant as it will make you feel full while making you eat less food. Especially if you drink a glass of water right before you eat a meal that will help you eat fewer calories.
Fruits and Vegetables
Eating fruits and vegetables is a great weight loss food to have in with each meal because it is high in nutrients and low in calories. You will have a hard time finding a vegetable or fruit that exceeds 100 calories per portion size.
Some good fruits to eat are bananas, apples, oranges, peaches, strawberries, etc. And some good vegetables to eat are broccoli, spinach, brussels sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, etc.
The foods and drinks you want to limit are processed foods, eating fast food restaurants, sodas and sugary drinks. The reason for this is these are high empty calories with no real nutritional value. And eating all this consistently will make it difficult to lose weight and will contradict being in a caloric deficit.
Exercise
When you lift weights or incorporate cardiovascular exercises it will help you burn calories which will be influential in being in the caloric deficit. Remember to be in a caloric deficit you must burn more calories than you are consuming. And exercising is a critical component in that weight loss formula.
The different types of cardiovascular training are walking, swimming, jogging, dancing, gardening, etc. Another form of resistance training is calisthenics, resistance bands, dumbbell free weights, weight-lifting machines, etc.
The Bottom Line is how many calories you should eat to lose weight is based off your age, sex, body types, physical activity level, etc. Those different variables are influential in your daily calorie count to illicit fat loss and weight loss.
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